In the cultural memory of the Muslims, Rabi’ul Awwal 12 marks the birth anniversary of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (sa). As the messenger of God and embodiment of Qur’anic
ethics, the Prophet of Islam spiritually-liberated humankind for all times from
the clutches of devilish ideologies and pagan practices in the name of deities and
divinity. His exemplary personal qualities of head and heart inspired
generations of people to value faith above the world, and yet, earthly
dominance did not elude them either. Despite a millennium of hostile propaganda
by anti-Muslim elements, independent historians today openly admit and
recognize that the Prophet of Islam stands tall amidst the rise and fall of
nations in the shifting sands of time. If Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was once given a
Divine-promise of an Ummah as
numerous as the stars on the night-sky, at one level, its literal fulfilment is
found in the dominance and global spread of Islam through the centuries. It is
also instructive to note that by all accounts, Islam is the religion of the
future as well. Indeed, the light of Muhammad continues to illumine the
spiritual horizons of the world- with more and more people finding solace in
the shade of the Prophetic Teachings, as time goes by.
Reproduced below is the translation of a Persian poem by the Promised
Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (originally appeared in the Review of Religions of February 1991):
What a marvellous light
And radiance is to be found
In the life and person
Of Muhammad! Indeed this is a mine
Wonderfully rich in rubies
Of priceless worth.
Look wheresoever, I may,
In the two worlds
I can absolutely find no one
With the greatness and grandeur
Of this the greatest benefactor
Of the human race.
If you long to obtain
Deliverance from the lust
Of your mind, then come
To include yourself
Among his devotees.
